Draymond Green Talks About the Evolution of His Style

The Golden State Warriors forward talks about the evolution of his personal style—including one very memorable yellow leather jacket.

We've said it before: Style isn't as much about the clothes you wear as it is about having the confidence to wear them, to find a look that makes you feel authentically you. And say what you will about the Warriors (who have what's quickly becoming an annual habit of getting roasted on Twitter for their photo shoots), but forward Draymond Green has always been himself. Off the court, in his personal style, it has meant everything from an aqua-and-purple, Jordan-themed homecoming outfit in high school to a very strong jacket game at last year's All-Star Weekend in Toronto, including one very memorable yellow leather double-rider.

We caught up with Green on the morning before his second consecutive NBA All-Star appearance to talk about his style evolution.

Take me through your outfit here.
The Chelsea boots [are] Saint Laurent. Daniel Patrick jeans. I love these jeans. The length on them are incredible. The holes in the knees got me. And they're a great fit. And then just basic white [for the shirt]. It's actually short-sleeve. It's Vince. This jacket, I recently just came over this brand. They're just getting started. They're out of Paris, called Eleven Paris. They did an L.A. collection, so that's how my stylist got connected with them. So possibly looking to do a little more with them. I like certain stuff that's not just like, "Oh, it's a Saint Laurent jacket. Oh, that's easy to go get."

How do you find new stuff?
My stylist, Vick Michel, he does a great job. His whole thing this weekend was: something else, something different. So the jacket [I wore] on Friday, he actually made that jacket himself. His whole thing was: Everybody's gonna wear this, this, and this. We want you to be different. So I wore a jacket like Eleven. I like to go that way sometimes.

Plus, you had to follow up that yellow jacket from last year.
Yeah, definitely. That yellow jacket was a statement piece.

Have you worn it since?
I have not.

Will you ever wear it again?
Possibly.

It sounds like you're never going to wear it again.
Probably not.

Have you always been into style?
I've always been into style since growing up as a kid. Whether it was the full blue-jean suits as a kid, when those were really hot, to the Gucci velours back in the day. I've always loved it. Obviously, growing up where I did, we didn't have much money, so I wasn't able really to go all the way into it. And then being blessed to play in the NBA, it allows you to do a little more, figure a few more things out. I love it.

Was there any big, notable fashion purchase when you came into NBA money?
Not much in my first three years. But once I signed my deal, I said, "Okay, now I can do a little more on that side of things." I hired Vick, and that changed a lot for me. From being in the store shopping, not having to do those things, to him bringing a piece to me [so I can say], "Naw, I don't like that." That's the thing I like about it. It's not "Here, wear this." It's "What do you think about this? What do you think about that? And now let's put those together." It keeps that fun in it, it keeps the passion, it keeps the joy. It also keeps you informed as well, on what's going on, what's out there and kind of where things are moving to.

You've got to make sure that outfit is on point, walking into the arena. It feels like tunnel style is becoming a big deal in the NBA.
It's such a big thing. You get dressed; you walk to the bus; you walk into the arena; you walk in the locker room; you take it off; you go play the game; you put it back on; you either go home to take it right off, to an airplane, or to a hotel. So the big moment is the tunnel. That's what everybody sees. It's a big deal.

Do you have an outfit you look back on and you think, What was I thinking?
All the time. I still look back at some of my suits back then, and I was like, "Aw man, that was dope" then, and looking back on it [now], it was horrible. That happens so fast. You can look at a picture from two years ago and think, What the hell did I have on? Fashion is like [snap, snap]. I go back to my senior year of high school. Our homecoming dance. I had on some all-black Dickies, the aqua Jordan 8's with a tall black tee, but I had gone to someone in Saginaw and had them print the Jordan Jumpman logo in the aqua and purple to match the shoes. And that was my homecoming outfit. Big-ass T-shirt. Big-ass Dickies. With the aqua 8's. With the king crown. I was the homecoming king. That was a bad one. But then, I thought I was fresh.

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